The present invention deals with a superior method of interior illumination using an optical fiber system for utilization in portable structures to uniformly illuminate the interior. While a tent will be used as the primary example of a portable structure in the following explanation, it is to be understood that virtually any structure may be equipped with the illumination system of the present invention for the same purposes.
Portable structures, such as tents, are currently being utilized for many types of activities including weddings, parties, political gatherings, picnics and the like. However, when it becomes dark, the user is forced to rely upon lighting means such as candles or lamps, to adequately illuminate the interior. Candles pose a significant fire hazard within the structure due the open flame. If the candle is knocked over or hot wax drips onto a flammable material, a fire may result and cause the portable structure to ignite as well. Further, candles provide minimal lighting in such a structure, and are not good choices if proper or variable lighting is desired.
Lamps are a popular alternative to candies; however, lamps also pose a significant safety hazard as well, although to a somewhat lesser degree. In order to achieve the proper lighting, halogen lamps are generally the lamps of choice because they currently provide the brightest lighting available. However, while they may provide the best lamp lighting, the halogen bulb used in the lamp becomes dangerously hot during use. Should the lamp be placed too close to the structure material, inadvertently knocked over, or a piece of debris falls into it, the bulb could set the material or debris on fire, causing a very unsafe situation within the structure. Further, both lamps and candies emit a large amount of excess heat to the surrounding atmosphere, often making the tent uncomfortably warm for those inside. In contradistinction, the optical fibers used in the present invention emit virtually no heat whatsoever, which alleviates the unnecessary fire hazard of an overly heated fixture as well as uncomfortable temperature conditions within the portable structure.
Thus, there is a need for safe, illumination of interior structures that is able to overcome the hazardous setbacks of prior methods, without sacrificing the quality of lighting desired. Although a tent is used to describe the present invention, it is purely for exemplary means and it is to be understood that the illumination system of the present invention may be used in virtually any structure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to eliminate the need for hazardous candles and lamps for the interior illumination of a portable structure, such as a tent, by providing a safe alternative, which is self-contained on the surface of the structure and provides an equivalent, if not a greater, amount of interior light, while substantially reducing unnecessary and dangerous radiation of heat.
It is a further object of the present invention to allow the user to control the intensity of the light emitted from the power source to the optical fibers either by using a manual control, which allows a wide range of intensities from dim to very bright, or by requesting a pre-determined intensity to be installed on the interior surface of the structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an alternative to poor lighting conditions associated with the use of the earlier, dated methods, by equipping the interior of the structure with uniform arrangements of light positioned at pre-determined locations along the portable structure interior, thus providing a superior illumination of the structure interior never before achieved.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.
The present invention provides superior illumination means by use of optical fibers arranged in bundles or groups that are affixed to the interior surface of a structure, such as a tent, at pre-determined points. More specifically, the optical fibers that are to be arranged around the interior have one or more pre-determined portions of the outer reflective covering of the optical fiber removed to provide improved lighting. Prior to removing the reflective coating, light enters from one end of the optical fiber from a light source and is carried through the optical fiber to the opposite end, with substantially little or no light emitted from the area in between the two ends because the reflective coating inwardly reflects any spurious light beams. However, when one or more portions of the outer coating are removed, intense light is emitted through the areas along the entire length of the fiber, thus providing a pre-determined amount of light to illuminate the interior of a structure. The amount of light required depends on the interior size, number of optical fibers used, the dimensions and number of areas from which the reflective coating is removed, and orientation of optical fiber groups.
Also described is an optional control for the fiber optic bundles that allows the user to turn the light source on and off, as well as control the intensity of the light emitted from the light source. Thus, the user may adjust the intensity of the light emitted from the optical fibers surrounding the interior perimeter of the structure based on the lighting conditions desired. Alternatively, a manual controller may not be included, meaning that the optical fibers will be attached to a light source of a pre-determined intensity, which may or may not be chosen by the user in advance.
The present invention goes further to describe a containment means for securing the optical fibers in pre-determined arrangements against the interior of the portable structure. The bundles are held securely in their orientation via a transparent sheet that covers the outward facing fibers. The sheet is attached via attachment means, i.e., sewn (as shown) or adhesive (not shown), to the interior material of the structure around the outermost perimeter of the fiber group thus creating a xe2x80x9cpocketxe2x80x9d for the fibers to rest securely in. The optical fiber bundles are presently shown in an exemplary orientation, however, it is to be understood that any orientation of the optical fiber bundles, e.g., a design, pattern, etc, is acceptable and within the spirit of the present invention. Further, should the interior material of the portable structure be plastic, or some other reflective material, additional illumination of the interior would be achieved by reflection of the light off the material towards the room and would be preferred, although any type of material is suitable and would be acceptable for use with the present invention.
In summary, the present invention is an interior illumination system utilizing one or more optical fibers that have one or more sections of an outer protective coating removed from each fiber in pre-determined areas and shapes along the length of the fibers such that light introduced from one or more ends of said fibers escapes from the areas of exposed optical fiber core. These fibers may then be placed in one or more groupings which are positioned in pre-selected locations through and along the exterior walls of a portable structure, such as a tent, for illumination of the interior of the structure. The groupings of optical fibers are then affixed to the interior of the structure by one ore more transparent sheets connected directly to the inside wall of the exterior wall of the portable structure to support the groupings of optical fibers and retain the groupings in a pre-determined orientation or design. The groupings may be placed in horizontal arrays at one or more heights around the perimeter walls of the portable structure.
These groupings may then be coupled to one or more lights sources and that have pre-determined light intensity settings. Alternatively, the light sources may have adjustable light intensities, in which case, the system would further comprise a light intensity control with control means for switching on and off and varying the intensity of the light emitted.